This event is a day-long and sharing of Cahuilla and Serrano Bird Singing. Local Bird Singing groups throughout Southern California are welcome to come and sing and dance Bird. Attendees are invited to taste test California Native Foods presented by Willie Pink (Luiseño). Hands-on activities will be provided by Tony Soares, Lily Clarke (Cahuilla) and Mother Earth Clan. Buy directly from local Native American artists selling arts and crafts. Visit our non-profit booths and learn more about community and organizational partners. A few partners include: News from Native California, Native American Land Conservancy, Mother Earth Clan, Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, California Indian Nations College, Cahuilla Consortium and others! 

Native American Arts Festival Week 2023
June 18 – June 23, 2023
Exploring Comedy and Humor in Indigenous Expression

We are excited to welcome you to join us this summer for a week full of programming to complement our summer Native American Arts workshops. All events are free and open to the public. This year, we will creatively explore the special role that humor and comedy play in Indigenous communities across Indian Country.

Native American Arts Festival Week Invitational Exhibition, “Still We Smile: Humor as Correction and Joy” curated by Meranda Roberts (Numu/Xicana)

The artist/curator led panel discussion takes place at 7 pm in the gallery.
A reception with Native Foods Taste Testing to follow at 8pm

This year’s invitational exhibition is curated by Meranda Roberts (Numu/Xicana) . The exhibition explores the concept of humor, and joy and its role within Indigenous communities to express love, share good humor, cope and correct behaviors.

Artists include: Rachel Martin (Tlingit), Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock Indian Nation), River Garza (Tongva), Chelazon Leroux (Buffalo River Dene Nation), Zig Jackson (Mandan/Hidatsa/Akirara), and the late great, James Luna (Luiseño).

Native American Arts Festival Week 2023
June 18 – June 23, 2023
Exploring Comedy and Humor in Indigenous Expression

We are excited to welcome you to join us this summer for a week full of programming to complement our summer Native American Arts workshops. All events are free and open to the public. This year, we will creatively explore the special role that humor and comedy play in Indigenous communities across Indian Country.

Michael Kabotie Lecture Series – “An All Around Comedy and Cat Guy, A Conversation with Joey Clift”

Joey Clift is a comedian, TV writer, and enrolled Cowlitz Indian Tribal Member. Writing credits include Spirit Rangers on Netflix, New Looney Tunes on Cartoon Network and Molly of Denali on PBS. He created, wrote and directed the Comedy Central digital series “Gone Native,” his award winning short films have screened everywhere from Just For Laughs to The Smithsonian Museum and his November 2019 appearance on the Earwolf podcast “How Did This Get Played” was called a “watershed moment” in podcasting by Indiewire, Vulture and Uproxx among other outlets. Most importantly, he started the LA Underground Cat Network, which is a 16,000-member strong Facebook group for Los Angeles comedians to share pictures of their cats. He’s kind of a cat guy.

This is a lunchtime lecture, attendees are invited to grab lunch, sit down and enjoy the show!

Native American Arts Festival Week 2023
June 18 – June 23, 2023
Exploring Comedy and Humor in Indigenous Expression

We are excited to welcome you to join us this summer for a week full of programming to complement our summer Native American Arts workshops. All events are free and open to the public. This year, we will creatively explore the special role that humor and comedy play in Indigenous communities across Indian Country.

Steven Paul Judd is Kiowa and Choctaw from Oklahoma. He is a filmmaker, director, screenwriter, writer of fiction and visualist. He’s a member of the Writers Guild of America and served as staff writer for Disney’s XD Comedy Series, “Zeke and Luther.” Judd’s filmography is large in scope and provides a unique perspective on and from within Native American culture today. His innovative approach provides a glimpse into a world that is familiar to the underrepresented first peoples of this nation and at simultaneously brings about a fresh perspective and understanding among the non-Indian community through humor.

This is a lunchtime lecture, attendees are invited to grab lunch, sit down and enjoy the show!

Native American Arts Festival Week 2023
June 18 – June 23, 2023
Exploring Comedy and Humor in Indigenous Expression

We are excited to welcome you to join us this summer for a week full of programming to complement our summer Native American Arts workshops. All events are free and open to the public. This year, we will creatively explore the special role that humor and comedy play in Indigenous communities across Indian Country.

Jackie Keliiaa is a stand-up comedian, writer, actor and producer based in Oakland, California. You can find her in the 2021 release, We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy. She has been  featured on Comedy Central, Team Coco, Illuminative’s 25 Native American Comedians to Follow, and was Comic of the Week on The Jackie And Laurie Show. She wrote for the Web Series You’re Welcome America, and has been featured in Vulture, Uproxx, the LA Times and KQED. Jackie has opened for Judah Friedlander, Nikki Glaser and was featured on the First Nations Comedy Experience streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Jackie is a regular at Bay Area venues and has performed at San Francisco SketchFest, Punch Line San Francisco and Cobb’s Comedy Club.

This is a lunchtime lecture, attendees are invited to grab lunch, sit down and enjoy the show!

Native American Arts Festival Week 2023
June 18 – June 23, 2023
Exploring Comedy and Humor in Indigenous Expression

We are excited to welcome you to join us this summer for a week full of programming to complement our summer Native American Arts workshops. All events are free and open to the public. This year, we will creatively explore the special role that humor and comedy play in Indigenous communities across Indian Country.